The Year of the Hare Comes to Its End

 #2024-0209

此為「兔年」最後一天；過了今夜，就是「龍年」開始之日。所以，在許多地方，包括用來裝 "壓歲錢" 的紅包袋上面，都看得到龍的圖像 (images of dragons)。

今晚，全家團聚吃年夜飯；飯後，由身為爺爺或爸爸的分發壓歲錢。為了表達內心的歡喜，我要把關於「除夕」的一則民間故事，抄錄如下：

傳說，上古時期有個怪獸名曰「夕」，每年臘月三十便擾亂村莊。後農民向灶王 (The kitchen deity, also known as the Stove God) 請求協助，灶王於是上天庭求見玉帝 (The Jade Emperor)，玉帝便派「年」前來驅魔。其實「夕」有其缺點，就是懼怕紅色和響聲。而「年」則使用紅綢對付「夕」。後來人們將燒紅的竹杆所發出的劈啪作響聯合「年」一同戰勝了「夕」，因此該日便稱為「除夕」。為了紀念「年」打敗「夕」的事蹟，特將正月初一稱作「年」（也稱為「春節」）。

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  Happy Chinese New Year!     (2023)

2)  除夕留影：Moments of Joy and Gratitude     (2022)

3)  除夕留影     (2021)

4)  除夕，讚！     (2020)

The BLC Meeting at St. Luke's Again!

#2024-0208B

I've attended the Bilingual Language Club's weekly meetings several times, but this evening left the most cheerful and successful impression on me. Everyone seemed eager to speak, enthusiastically sharing their personal experiences with others.

It appeared that attendees naturally divided themselves into three smaller groups, each engrossed in its own topics of discussion or subjects of conversation. At times, the communication within each group became so animated that the room buzzed with noise.

Nonetheless, I found myself excitedly conversing with Owen to my right, Jason to my left, and a handsome young man named Marcus, whose English equivalent would be "Mark."

Marcus, a 25-year-old traveler from Germany, had stumbled upon our BLC meeting while exploring Hualien. When I asked how he discovered the event, he mentioned meeting Nina, another BLC member, at a local bookstore. Intriguingly, Marcus hails from the Free State of Bavaria (巴伐利亞), the same region as my good friend Hans Geiger from St. James' Church in Taichung. Our conversation delved into the unique cultural aspects of Bavaria, adding an extra layer of connection to the evening.

In addition to Marcus, a British family—parents and their young daughter—joined the BLC meeting at St. Luke's. They engaged mainly with Mr. Kakuta from Japan, Nina (Arshan's mother), Arthur, and Mandy in another nearby group. Despite my desire to converse with the British family, my attention was absorbed by Marcus and our lively discussion. It was evident that everyone was eager to engage and share within their respective groups.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  The BLC Meeting at St. Luke's     (2023)

2)  The Bilingual Language Club     (2023)

小三成語作業 (Idomatic Expressions)

#2024-0208A

The school students are currently in the midst of their winter vacation, with the final week fast approaching. Despite being on break, they still have a significant amount of homework to complete before the vacation ends. Their teachers have assigned tasks such as reviewing Chinese language and literature, solving mathematical problems, and exploring topics in social studies and natural science.

Given that the Lunar New Year falls in the final week of their vacation, my grandchildren had better work diligently to complete as much of their assignments as possible. This way, they can truly relax and enjoy the festival days!

Below are the idiomatic expressions assigned for Little Shine, also known as John, a third-grade student, to study at home. He is expected to understand the meaning of each expression and construct a sentence using each of them.

 ~~ Idomatic Expressions for Kids to Learn ~~

熟能生巧。繡花枕頭。薄利多銷。霧裡看花。牛郎織女。大刀闊斧。三天打魚，兩天曬網。綿延不絕。傾盆大雨。眾所周知。美不勝收。軟硬兼施。老奸巨猾。大公無私。漫不經心。枯木逢春。過河拆橋。大智若愚。並駕齊驅。引人入勝。分秒必爭。肅然起敬。有口皆碑。精疲力竭。進退維谷。品學兼優。嘖嘖稱奇。有恃無恐。化腐朽為神奇。心靈福至。史無前例。我行我素。杯弓蛇影。不落俗套。惱羞成怒。心花怒放。門可羅雀。三五成群。望塵莫及。一塵不染。心煩意亂。眼花撩亂。嘉言善行。一錢不值。專心致志。心血來潮。見義勇為。見利忘義。投桃報李。世外桃源。飲水思源。一鳴驚人。虛張聲勢。微乎其微。作育英才。隔牆有耳。壁壘分明。避重就輕。虛懷若谷。任勞任怨。百依百順。美輪美奐。短兵相接。力爭上游。窗明几淨。東窗事發。氣急敗壞。有備無患。誠心誠意。精誠團結。勞燕分飛。高抬貴手。虎頭蛇尾。窮途末路。窮凶惡極。貪小失大。火樹銀花。亡羊補牢。發人深省。根深蒂固。殊途同歸。揠苗助長。童叟無欺。變幻無常。

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  "Long, Long Ago"     (2023)

2)  弟弟生日快樂     (2022)

3)  Good Memories     (2021)

行者咖啡 (Walker Cafe)

#2024-0202

Our grandkids, James and John, returned to Wufeng for a short stay from January 30th to February 3rd (Tuesday through Saturday).

Before arriving on Tuesday, they, along with their mom, spent a whole day and night in Yuanlin, where their maternal grandparents live. Given the considerable distance between Hualien and Taichung, their visits to us are rare. That's why we were eager to find somewhere for them to relax during their stay.

They've been to Walker Cafe a couple of times before. However, this afternoon's trip there was not only enjoyable for them, but also for Jean and me. We hope our grandkids will cherish the memories from revisiting this wonderful spot in Guoxing, my hometown.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  三訪「行者咖啡」     (2021)

2)  An Outing: 偷得浮生半日閒     (2021)

3)  Good Memories!     (2021)

4)  Hometown Attractions (家鄉景點)     (2023)

偶遇 Ms. Shufen Zheng

#2024-0201

Walking in Ataabu Park (阿罩霧公園), Jean suggested we cross the road to visit Bentang Park (本堂公園), where our grandkids used to play frequently when they were small. So, we took Little Shine (or formally, John) there for a revisit.

To our surprise, Ms. Shufen Zheng (鄭淑芬老師), whom we hadn't seen for a long time, called me by my name and title, "Liang laoshi," from a distance. I saw her sitting alone under the rain shelter on the other side of Bentang Park. Approaching her, my former fellow teacher at Nantou Commercial High School, I couldn't hide my overwhelming excitement, saying,

"Oh, how long it's been since we last encountered each other! It feels like centuries!"

"You're right. We haven't met each other for a long, long time, even though our houses are in the same community. This is what they call 'Zhi chi tianya' (咫尺天涯)."

The Chinese saying "Zhi chi tianya" literally means "So near and yet so far." And as you can imagine, we reminisced about our past days many years ago, before our retirement from teaching jobs. Then, she told me that her legs had become weak, and she couldn't walk for over two hundred meters. I asked her where her husband, Prof. Zhongyong Chen (陳中庸教授), was at that moment; I said, "Didn't he come with you as an escort?" And she replied, "He's returning home to receive a mailed parcel. He'll be back soon."

It was true that Prof. Zhongyong was back at the same spot where we were in just a few minutes. Then Zhongyong, Shufen, Jean, and I started a new conversation full of humor and fun.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  公園裡的 "張氏紫葳"     (2022)

2)  《聖鴿》     (2019)

3)  Summer Event No. 2: 盪鞦韆     (2018)

4)  翰墨凝香 (Prof. Chen's Calligraphy Exhibition)     (2012)

5)  Good Friends! I Miss You So Much!     (2010)